Captain Rosemary Mariner, first woman to fly fighter jet, has died

[BetteDavisEyes]

'A badass pilot': Capt. Rosemary Mariner, first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet, dies

A ceremonial flyover with only female jet pilots — a first in naval history — will honor her at her funeral service on Saturday.

The rules were clear when she was growing up: Women were not allowed to fly U.S. military aircraft. But that was not going to stop Rosemary Bryant Mariner.

The daughter of a Navy nurse and an Air Force pilot who had died in a plane crash when she was 3, Mariner made it her goal to be as qualified as possible to fly in the armed services. She got her private pilot's license at 17. Then she got her aeronautics degree from Purdue University in 1972 when she was 19.

A year later, as a growing feminist movement took hold amid a push for the Equal Rights Amendment, the Navy lifted its restrictions and opened up its flight program to women — setting Mariner on a path to becoming a pioneer in the military...

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

The Navy's first all-female flyover will honor a woman who helped make it possible - CNN

(CNN)The first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet in the US Navy opened the door for more than just women in combat. She also helped them with the transition to civilian life.

Now, at her funeral, retired Navy Capt. Rosemary Mariner will receive the first-ever all-female flyover...

 

[Betty P]

The Navy's first all-female flyover will honor a woman who helped make it possible - CNN

(CNN)The first woman to fly a tactical fighter jet in the US Navy opened the door for more than just women in combat. She also helped them with the transition to civilian life.

Now, at her funeral, retired Navy Capt. Rosemary Mariner will receive the first-ever all-female flyover...

"She not only kicked doors open, she put a doorstop in the door and told others behind her to go through. Her mentorship was legendary," said Katherine Sharp Landdeck, a history professor at Texas Woman's University who studied under Mariner at the University of Tennessee.
"It was an honor and privilege to know her."

She sounds like a great leader, to help mentor other women following her. Age 65 was too young. Darn ovarian cancer. We really need a cure for that.

RIP Captain Mariner. I'd love to see that flyover, I hope the news media covers it.

 

[BetteDavisEyes]

Video features first female flyover:

Navy holds first-ever all-female flyover in East TN in honor of pioneer Capt. Rosemary Mariner